The present invention relates to flight crew rest compartments in aircraft. In particular, the present invention relates to a habitation and sleeping module for accommodating at least one member of a flight crew, to an aircraft comprising a corresponding module, and to the use of a corresponding module in an aircraft.
Flight crew rest compartments (FCRCs) form part of the mandatory equipment of aircraft on long-duration flights. According to international standards, any flight of a duration of between 8 h and 14 h requires one lying-down facility, while flights exceeding 14 h require two lying-down facilities. This is also derived from the requirement wherein from a certain flight duration onwards a total of two alternating cockpit crews must be present on board. This means that the module may be used for extended durations or continuously over the entire duration of the flight.
In recent years the security requirements in aircraft have become significantly more stringent, which also requires separation of the cockpit region from the passenger region. From the point of view of design it can thus well be desirable for pilots to have direct spatial access to the flight crew rest compartment (FCRC) from the cockpit, without there being a need to enter the passenger region.
Known FCRCs are implemented with two lying-down facilities, arranged side-by-side, in the crown area of the aircraft. Most of the time the cockpit crew has to walk a certain distance to get to the FCRC. The confined rest region in the interior of the compartment is followed by a projecting region in the passenger cabin, e.g. the first-class region, which at least in part may not be at full height.
Printed publication EP 1 010 617 shows accommodation for crew members in the crown area of the aircraft. A rest space for several persons is disclosed, wherein due to the arrangement the installation of a seat or of storage compartments may not be possible in practical application.